The Old Rochester Regional School Committee applauded the work of Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber for making the FY23 school budget the most digestible one that the members had ever been asked to consume.
In a PowerPoint presentation that lasted less than an hour, Barber went through several slides breaking down and establishing the building blocks of the budgeting process, much of which is predetermined by state law. The nuances that affect the ORR School District’s three member towns are more complicated, but Barber charted the course and took questions to clarify.
At the conclusion of open comment, the public hearing was closed, and the FY23 school budget was then unanimously approved by the committee.
“You did such an amazing job with slides to make them digestible for somebody who doesn’t deal with numbers all day,” said committee member Margaret McSweeny. “In general, I just wanted to compliment you Howie for your work on this … we are very lucky to have you.”
The foundational aspects of the district’s philosophy are: a zero-based budget; cost-effective programming and staffing based on enrollment; administration and department-based goals; and a continued all-funds budget approach.
In outlining the budget, Barber began his summary report by highlighting the building blocks that establish the total, anticipated, operations budget of $22,119,995, an increase of $945,357 over the FY22 operating budget. Barber cautioned that this figure was not the subject of the committee’s vote at the conclusion of the public hearing, only a working figure.
The assessment-based budget figure that the committee voted to approve is $20,845,272. That number was established by applying $1,274,723 in financial offsets to the operations budget of $22,119,995 resulting in a District budget of $20,424,272, then adding $421,000 in capital stabilization for contracted repair to ORR’s outdoor track.
Committee member Matt Monteiro noted that a 4.77 percent increase across all of the towns in current dollars essentially asks people to pay less and asked Barber for confirmation. Barber didn’t characterize the situation that way, but he clarified that this (budget) year is capital assessment, as in ORR’s outdoor track.
“It includes the track and the new guidance counselor. The track’s going to cost more if we don’t do it now. I just want to say how much I appreciate the fact that we’re not being asked to pay more,” said Monteiro.
District union contracts comprise 56.54 percent of the budget.
Besides personal-service financial impacts, ORR is looking at a $119,000 increase in department and organization costs including agreements on health benefits, $20,000 in general insurance, $10,000 in Plymouth County retirement and $40,000 in obligations towards unemployment and other benefits.
The total funding offsets come from nine sources, most prominently school choice at $580,000. The total offsets cover ORR’s 11 paraprofessionals and two-and-one-third of teaching staff.
The assessment-based $20,845,272 budget figure represents a $949,306 increase over FY22. In addition to the $421,000 for the repair to the ORR track, alocations inside of the assessment budget figure include $703,418 in regional debt and $617,000 in regional transportation costs.
Determining district assessments is based on three- and five-year enrollment averages. In FY22, Mattapoisett has produced 36.9 percent of ORR District students, Rochester has had 32.85 percent and Marion 29.67 percent. These figures are purely residential and do not include school-choice students.
Enrollment in all three towns has consistently trended downward over the past five years. The 2017-18 school year began with 1,139 ORR District students, and as of the start of the current academic year was down to 988.
Minus Chapter 70 (state aid) and additional revenue-based assessment reductions totaling $3,434,440 and the minimum local contribution of $9,156,644, ORR’s proposed FY23 budget is $6,512,770 “above minimal local contribution.”
The state-required minimal contribution is actually down by 1.725 percent from FY22, but Marion is up by 2 percent while Mattapoisett (minus 3.294 percent) and Rochester (minus 3.782 percent) are both down as determined by the state. Adding in the agreement ($15,669,414 total,) the assessments are as follows: Marion at $5,034,815, Mattapoisett at $5,891,917 and Rochester at $4,742,682.
After the vote, ORR School Committee Chairperson Heather Burke thanked Jim Muse, Monteiro and Jason Chisholm for their work on the budget subcommittee.
The next meeting of the ORR School Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, March 23, at 6:30 pm, and the next meeting of the Joint School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, April 28, at 6:30 pm.
ORR School Committee
By Mick Colageo